Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut

Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut is a DLC pack for Mass Effect 3. It was released on June 26, 2012[1] for all platforms worldwide, except for PlayStation 3 in Europe, where it was released on July 4, 2012. Originally announced as available for free download until April 12, 2014,[1][2][3] EA has since revealed that it has "no plans to ever pull that content down or charge for it" and that "the expiration addendum was only attached due to EA's internal policy of putting expiration dates on all 'no additional cost' content".[4]

The Wii U version of Mass Effect 3 includes the Extended Cut as part of the game.[5]

Following Mass Effect 3's release, a number of players complained that the game's original ending was confusing and lacked closure. In response, BioWare's Dr. Ray Muzyka announced new content would be created for Mass Effect 3 to address fan concerns.[6] Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut was revealed to be that new content. To develop it, BioWare re-prioritized their post-release downloadable content schedule for the game.[1]

Content

Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut features new cinematics and epilogue scenes that expand upon Mass Effect 3's original ending by providing more closure to Commander Shepard's story.[1][2] The endings will vary, depending on the choices made in the trilogy by the player.[7]

Content added to or changed in Mass Effect 3 by the Extended Cut includes the following (see Priority: Earth and Storyline III for more details):

Cutscenes

During the final rush to the beam, Shepard's squad members will be shown either being incinerated by Harbinger's beam or getting critically wounded and evacuated to safety by the Normandy, depending on the player's Effective Military Strength (EMS) score.

Hackett receives word that someone, whom he assumes is Shepard, has reached the beam.

Shepard is shown being violently launched into the Citadel tunnel.

If the player's EMS rating is low, the Crucible and Shield fleet are shown being attacked as the Crucible docks with the Citadel.

When Shepard is making his/her choice (Destroy, Control, Synthesis), Joker is no longer seen in the flashback. Instead, a character who died during the course of the game will appear. Also, the last flashback is no longer always Ashley/Kaidan/Liara, but whoever was Shepard's love interest.

When the Crucible achieves firing status, Admiral Hackett orders the surviving allied fleets to evacuate from Earth's orbit. Joker initially refuses to abandon Shepard, until a surviving squad member (one who did not participate in the final run to the beam) convinces him to leave. The Normandy leaves the system, seconds before the Crucible fires, explaining the Normandy being caught in the energy wave while in transit.

On Earth, two stranded human soldiers are shown being overwhelmed by husks. The energy of the Crucible either vaporizes the husks (Destroy), causes them to retreat (Control), or causes them to stop attacking (Synthesis). In the worst Destroy scenario, the two humans are also incinerated by the Crucible's energy.

When the Crucible's energy interacts with the Charon Relay, the relay's core is shown breaking up, but the rest of the relay remains intact and later scenes show the mass relays being repaired. However, in the worst Destroy ending, the relays still explode.

When the Crucible's energy wave impacts the Normandy, the ship's control consoles and engines are no longer shown exploding in high EMS endings. In Low EMS endings however, the ship's consoles and engines are exploding.

Surviving squad members on Normandy place Shepard's name onto the memorial wall, with Admiral Anderson's already on it. If the Destroy ending was chosen and the player has a high enough EMS rating, however, the Commander's name is not actually shown to be placed on the wall (his/her love interest instead smiles and refrains from placing the plaque). This, coupled with the cutscene of Shepard breathing in the rubble, leaves the Commander's final fate ambiguous.

The Normandy is seen either undergoing repairs or departing the planet it had crashed on.

Dialogue

The Catalyst's original dialogue has been largely altered and Shepard can now investigate for further information regarding Reaper origins and the specifics of the Crucible's abilities.

A fourth option is provided to the player as an alternative to the original three. Shepard can now refuse to activate the Crucible, either through dialogue or by shooting at the Catalyst. This dooms the galaxy to another successful Reaper purge. This option triggers two unique cutscenes:

One of Liara's time capsules is shown on an unknown planet, and a recording of Liara explains that the capsule contains a record of her generation's war against the Reapers and information necessary to stop them.

After the credits, an alternate Stargazer scene is shown - a child and a female of unknown species refer to how the previous cycle's experience helped them achieve peace.

Fixes and Updates

The required Effective Military Strength rating to achieve all possible endings is lowered from 4,000 to 3,100.[8]